Fake Sick
by agent.bear
Summary: A wild idea to test the friendship quality of Gabriella's friends Kelsi, Taylor, Troy and Chad take them on a crazy adventure. A journey of friendship and adventure. A secret name for a secret disguise... does anyone find out who she really is?
1. Vanessa Millers

Gabriella coughed loudly. "I think I might not be coming to school tomorrow," she whispered.

"Gabriella, it can't be, it's the talent show tomorrow," Troy whined.

'No, I can't be sick tomorrow,' thought Gabriella.

Gabriella struck an idea last night just before she went to sleep. She would be sick over the duration of a week. Gabriella wanted to test the strength of her friendship. This would be a challenge. The Talent Show would be running the day she planned her first day sick.

"Sorry friends, I think I'm really sick," she pretended.

"Oh no! We really hope you can get back to school soon, remember the maths test?" Taylor exclaimed.

"I'm sure I'll be better soon," Gabriella assured them.

Gabriella had asked her friend, Natasha Millers to help her out. Natasha was a few years older than Gabriella, so Gabriella made a deal with her. "Hey Natasha, do you think you could help me out?" Gabriella asked Natasha at lunch over the weekend. Before Gabriella knew it, Natasha walked through the principal's office as a parent. Gabriella changed the way she did her hair in a different hairstyle, changed the way she did her make-up and especially changed the style of her clothes. Gabriella practised a higher pitched voiced with Natasha before they entered for their meeting.

"Well, welcome Natasha Millers, I hope our conference today will be worthwhile," the Principal greeted.

"I hope so too," Natasha agreed.

"Alright, before we get started, what is your child's name?" the Principal asked.

"My name is Vanessa Millers," Gabriella/Vanessa greeted.

"Hello and welcome Vanessa, we hope you enjoy your time at East High," the Principal assured.

"Thank you very much," Gabriella/Vanessa thanked.

"Well, you will have to start school at some point. So, which grade level do you feel comfortable in?" the Principal questioned.

"Actually... I haven't been to Secondary School because I was pretty much home schooled when we were travelling," Gabriella/Vanessa noticed.

"That's alright. I think Year 11 will suit you fine," the Principal solutioned.

"I'm fine with that. When will I start? Today or tomorrow?" Gabriella/Vanessa enquired.

"I think tomorrow will better suit wink," Natasha suggested.

"I'll go with my mother's suggestion," Gabriella/Vanessa agreed.

"That's absolutely fine, tomorrow you can start, have a nice day Natasha and Vanessa," the Principal concluded.


	2. First Day

Ring! The East High School began for the first day for Vanessa Millers. Vanessa pretended she didn't know where to go and started asking around to where to go to. She ran across Sharpay. Sharpay's jealousy of Gabriella was the reason behind Vanessa trying to test her out.

-Vanessa stops at Sharpay, who was looking in the mirror in her locker-

"Oh hi! My name is Vanessa Millers," Vanessa greets.

"Oh, uh, yeah... hi... can I help you?" Sharpay greets. "Oh... hang on! You're face doesn't look familiar... you new?" she adds.

"Yes, I'm new... it would be great if you could direct me to a Year 11 class," Vanessa requests.

"I don't know what class you're looking for because there are a lot of Year 11 classes... but anyways... you can come to our class. Just straight up there and turn left," Sharpay directs.

"Thanks for your help! fake smiles It was a great help," Vanessa said trying to hide her real emotions.

"Yeah! No problems! Oh and anyway, I'm Sharpay... toodles!" Sharpay introduces herself before leaving.

Sharpay seemed her normal self to everyone but Gabriella. Vanessa wandered inside the class she knew so well and found that there was no seat, only the seat which Gabriella (who she was) sat in. Vanessa was about to sit back into her old seat (as she thought today she was just her normal self, Gabriella) when Troy yelled, "Hey, don't sit there!" before realising that it wasn't just a usual classmate, but a new one in disguise. As Vanessa looked up at Troy, he turned his face into a shocked face and apologised.

"Seats everyone!" Ms. Darbus yelled as she walked in the door. Vanessa Millers stood up and Ms. Darbus noticed her. "We have a new student here today," she announced. "Introduce yourself now please, and stand at the front of the class," she added. Vanessa walked to the front of the class. She began: (trying not to giggle)

"Hi everyone, I'm Vanessa Millers and I'm 17. I'm new to East High and I've struggled to get to the class but with the help with Sharpay, I was able to reach the class in time. I haven't actually been to a High School because my family and I were travelling constantly and haven't made a stop in ages, so I was pretty much home-schooled. We're stopping here for a week. I love singing and I hope I enjoy my time here."

"Thank you Vanessa Millers," Ms. Darbus said. "I'll do the roll call now," she added. "Gabriella, absent," Ms. Darbus called as she ticked names off the list. "As we all know, the talent show is today, Troy, Gabriella is absent today so you will just have to arrange someone else to help you," she announced.


	3. Lunch Break

"Class dismissed," Ms. Darbus called as the bell rang. "Taylor and Sharpay please come to me," she said as the students began pouring out of the classroom. Taylor and Sharpay walked towards Ms. Darbus.

"What now Ms. Darbus?" Sharpay snapped. "My lunch break is ticking away!" she added.

"Yes Ms. Darbus?" Taylor said.

"Will any of you volunteer to accompany Troy in his act?" Ms. Darbus asked.

"No! Ryan and I are doing a special act, you know?" Sharpay snapped.

"Sorry Ms. Darbus, I need to complete my maths test," Taylor replied.

"OK then, I'll look for someone else," Ms. Darbus said disappointed.

Vanessa had her ear and a glass at the door and she was listening to every word said. If she helps Troy in the act she knows so well (because she is Gabriella) in the voice she truly has, then he will notice in an instant. As Vanessa began reflecting on her plan, the door handle started moving. Vanessa grabbed the cup and ran to her locker. Her locker was next to the classroom, so she was easily noticed when they opened the door. "Hi Vanessa!" Taylor exclaimed excitedly.

"Hi Taylor (oops, I forgot, I'm not supposed to know her name)," Vanessa replied in a blur.

"What did you say?" Taylor asked.

"Oh, nothing," Vanessa replied.

"Ah! Vanessa!" Ms. Darbus cried when she saw the sight of Vanessa.

"Yes Ms. Darbus?" Vanessa replied.

"Can you sing?" Ms. Darbus asked.

"Not too well, but I'll give it a try," Vanessa replied.

'What have I done!' Vanessa thought.

"Meet me after lunch break," Ms. Darbus said in a hurry.

"Sure…" Vanessa said.

Vanessa pushed the doors open of the cafeteria's doors. It was like a busy shopping mall. There were many tables filling the compound. The lunch table Gabriella sat at was near the canteen. Vanessa walked over to the canteen and was about to ask the lady for potato, gravy and some peas when a disturbing noise called out. "HEY! VANESSA! COME SIT WITH US!," Troy yelled at the top of his lungs. This noise shocked Vanessa so much that she jiggled and nearly dropped her tray.

"Excuse me kid, don't drop that!" the lady grouched.

"Sorry," Vanessa replied. The look on Troy's face changed completely when he saw what he had caused her to do.

Vanessa wandered over to their table and took a seat at her usual Gabriella seat. Vanessa wanted to speak to Troy and see what he thought about Gabriella. This was also way for Gabriella to gain information to see if Troy really loved her. Vanessa placed her tray down and opened the plastic utensil packet. She took a bite of her potato and Troy took a bite of his hamburger. They started their conversation when they both swallowed. Today Taylor and Chad decided to sit with Kelsi to discuss some of her composing components.

"So Vanessa, pretty big first day... so how are you settling in?" Troy asked concerned.

"Pretty well actually, thanks," Vanessa replied.

"I'm glad you are, although it's a pity you didn't get to meet Gabriella," Troy said disappointed.

"Oh! Who is Gabriella?" Vanessa questions pretending to be confused.

"Well, she's a really close friend of mine," Troy explains nodding.

"Why isn't she here today then?" Vanessa asks.

"I'm not sure...but I think Gabriella's sick," Troy answers.

"I hope I get to meet her," Vanessa says hopeful.

"I don't know how long she's going to be sick for, but if she was here, she'd be more than willing to show you around and chat to you," Troy said.

"I heard that she's not here for the talent show, and you were doing something together," Vanessa brought up.

"Oh yeah, we were going to do a duet together..." Troy explained.

"That's not good..." Vanessa unhappily sighed.

"Yeah, it's pretty bad... but just out of interest, can you sing?" Troy suddenly lightened up.

"I can, but it's not good," Vanessa explained.

"That's FANTASTIC! You could replace her in the duet. I'm sure she wouldn't mind," Troy enthusiastically screamed.

"Alright," Vanessa said like she wasn't interested.

"We can meet up later today to rehearse," Troy happily suggested.

"I'm sorry Troy... I'll probably have to go and speak to Ms. Darbus after Lunch Break. Does she even know what you're presenting?" Vanessa assured.

"Of course, I've given her all of the paperwork and song sheets," Troy positively assured.

"I'll have to ask Ms. Darbus to help me," Vanessa solutioned.

"Do whatever you want, but be ready by this afternoon... the show is after school," Troy instructed.

"I'm always ready," Vanessa made a speech of confidence.

"I have to go! Bye Vanessa!" Troy concluded.

The bell rang to end lunch break and students went running everywhere to reach their classrooms. Vanessa ran to the music room, where she knew Ms. Darbus would be because she had finished teaching all students for the day. Vanessa was supposed to be going to the Grand Hall for the opening ceremony, but she took an advantage as a new student to skip that and go to the music room.

"Hello Vanessa, nice to see you've found your way to the music room," Ms. Darbus greeted.

"Hi Ms. Darbus!" Vanessa said enthusiastically.

"Are you agreeing to help Troy with his Talent Show act?" Ms. Darbus asked.

"Yes, certainly!" Vanessa replied.

"Let's begin the song, on the count of three beats, you've got the lyrics in front of you," Ms. Darbus instructed. "Kelsi here will play the piano," she added.

"Alright," Vanessa replied.

"One, two, three."


	4. Practise and Show

Vanessa sang the words to the song and couldn't disguise it any longer. It wasn't natural so she couldn't sing artificially any longer because it made her throat sore. "Beautiful Vanessa," Ms. Darbus encouraged. Kelsi looked up from the piano and had a good look at Vanessa when Ms. Darbus had stopped her to speak to her.

'I've heard that voice before and I've seen that face before but I can't make out who that is,' Kelsi thought.

"I'll get Troy to come in and show you the performance," Ms. Darbus said enthusiastically as she walked out of the room. Now it was just Vanessa and Kelsi in the music room.

"So, Vanessa, where have you travelled?" Kelsi asked to gain information and to see if this was the person she thought it was.

"Well um, yeah, I've been to, um Mexico, um Europe, yeah um, Russia and um Australia," Vanessa stuttered.

"What was the best thing you went to in Australia?" Kelsi tested.

"Um, let's see… hmm… theme park!" Vanessa stuttered.

"Which one?" Kelsi tested yet again.

"Um… hang on… Dream World," Vanessa managed to make out.

"I know who you are now," Kelsi said proudly.

'Oh no!' thought Vanessa.

"I'm Vanessa!" said Vanessa trying to cover it up.

"You're Gabriella," Kelsi announced.

"Shh… not too loud," Vanessa whispered.

"Why not?" Kelsi asked.

"I'm trying to test my friendship," Vanessa whispered.

"OK, not a word," Kelsi whispered. "Here's Troy," she added.

"Hi girls!" Troy said enthusiastically.

"Hi Troy," Vanessa and Kelsi said at the same time.

Troy showed Vanessa the actions to the song and where to walk around on the stage. It was hard for Vanessa to pretend that she didn't know what she was doing, because it seemed so boring to just sit through the instructions wasting time. Vanessa felt like just telling Troy that she knew what to do, but that might have given away her real identity.

Students from everywhere came to pack the hall. An announcement was made by Ms. Darbus, "Attention students, our first act is by Ryan and Sharpay." Sharpay skipped onto the scene with a stunning sequin filled costume and Ryan ran in with a dull white shirt and pants. Sharpay sang most of the song, leaving Ryan doing most of the actions. Although this act wasn't to be laughed at, the sight of Ryan dancing made everyone laugh until their stomachs ached. The judges on the panel held up a 2, 3 and a 4.

"Ms. Darbus, that's just not fair!" Sharpay exclaimed.

"What the judges pick is not up to me, Sharpay, now go backstage," Ms. Darbus replied.

"Uh! Come on Ryan! These people just can't appreciate our brilliance," Sharpay snapped.

"Our next act, Vanessa and Troy with Kelsi accompanying," the M.C announced.

Vanessa and Troy ran out, and Kelsi took a seat at the piano. Kelsi winked at Vanessa but she frowned back. "One, two, three," Kelsi lip said. Vanessa and Troy sang loud and clear, and just by looking at the audience, they were fantastically engaged to their song. Vanessa couldn't believe Troy didn't know it was her. The judges, with wide smiles on their faces held up a 10 and two 9's. They then heard a disturbing scream from backstage. It was Sharpay, she was watching the whole act with a large frown on her forehead. She whacked Ryan in the arm when Ryan began swaying to the music and kicking the beat.

"Uh! Ryan! They are our _enemies_! You're so STUPID!" Sharpay screamed.

"Sharpay, the music is irresistible," Ryan defended.

"GO!" Sharpay squealed.

Ryan went off to the other room backstage to enjoy the song.

The night ended. "The winner of the East High Talent Show is… VANESSA AND TROY!" the M.C screamed. They ran out from both sides of the stage with Kelsi. They accepted the trophy and Troy made a speech.

"I'd like to thank everyone in the audience today. Thank you Kelsi, without you, we wouldn't have any music to our fabulous song you wrote for us. Thank you Vanessa, without you, myself and Gabriella's dream to win this Talent Show tonight would not have been fulfilled. I just hope that Gabriella will recover her sickness soon. I'm pleased to collect this trophy."

A tear fell from Vanessa's eye. They collected the trophy and held it up high.

"Now, if any fans could come up and get their autographs," the M.C announced.

Ryan rushed out from backstage, but followed was Sharpay dragging him back.

"Please?" Ryan said smiling in front of Troy and Vanessa.

They looked at each other, then dashed to get the permanent marker to sign his autograph book. The pair signed tens of books and thanked many fans. Inside, Vanessa knew that she was Gabriella, and so did Kelsi.

"I can't wait until tomorrow, we've got a special guest," Troy remembered backstage.


	5. Second Day

"Seats please students," Ms. Darbus instructed. Everyone sat down in their own seats except for Vanessa. Vanessa completely forgot about who she really was, so she took a seat in Gabriella's seat.

"Hey!" Troy exclaimed. "Gabriella could be coming back today," he added.

Vanessa turned back at him and he saw that this wasn't just any old classmate. "Sorry!" Vanessa whined, angry at Troy for screaming. Troy made a face, he was sick of waiting for Gabriella to come back, so he decided to get grumpy instead.

"Excuse me Troy, this is class," Ms. Darbus called out. Vanessa moved away from Troy. She knew now that Troy gets angry when his best friend isn't present in class. This was a new point for her friendship note-taking when she went to the bathroom. "As we all know, we have a special guest coming in today," Ms. Darbus announced.

Taylor raised her hand. "Who is it?" Taylor asked.

"Our special guest today is Ms. Lucida Peters, from the Singing Institute of America," Ms. Darbus proudly announced. There were a few oo's and ah's coming from the students. Ms. Darbus proudly smiled as they quietened down. "Except," Ms. Darbus held in silence and removed the smile from her face. The student's eyes widened as they awaited Ms. Darbus' next words. "She will be coming later today," Ms. Darbus concluded. They all moaned because they had been looking forward to it for weeks.

Class ended as they made their way to sport. "Boys will be training with me and girls are with Isabella Stanley for a workshop," Coach Bolton announced. The boys rushed over to Coach Bolton. The girls had heard of Isabella Stanley before, and she did hardcore gymnastics training. The real Gabriella knew secretly how to flip and perform tricks. All of her friends knew what abilities she was capable of. Half of her friends were with Coach Bolton but half still remained with her. The girls made their way to Isabella Stanley in their comfortable pants.

"ALRIGHT GIRLS!" Isabella Stanley screamed at the top of her lungs. Set out in front of them was every gymnastic apparatus in different areas of the new gym sponsored by Isabella Stanley. Each mattress and apparatus had the words 'Isabella Stanley' with a different figure performing a trick printed on it. "Now… WHO HERE KNOWS HOW TO DO ANY FLIPS ON FLOOR WORK?" Isabella Stanley screamed. Vanessa was very tempted to raise her hand. Sharpay looked around and then raised her hand with a smile on her face telling people 'I can do what you can't.' "Yes you! Show us what you can do," Isabella said expecting something fantastic. Sharpay took off her high heels, which she wasn't meant to be wearing them, but for fashion's sake she did. Sharpay did a wobbly cartwheel and landed on her bottom.

"TA DA!" Sharpay screamed.

"Not so much, I'll show you the trick that I was expecting," Isabella Stanley replied to Sharpay's scream. Isabella Stanley raised her hands in the air, pointed her toe. She leaped into the air and performed a triple flip, jumped on the ground and came back with three back-flips. She imitated Sharpay, "TA DA!" Sharpay frowned at her and squealed. "We have different stations, you'll be each going in a group to each station," Isabella Stanley announced. Vanessa, Kelsi, Sharpay and Taylor were in a group together. They began doing ground-work.

The first activity was to try a handstand or single flip. Of course Vanessa could do this, but it was best to hide the ability. Taylor attempted and she was able to do the flip. "Gabriella taught me how to do this," Taylor told Vanessa when she came back. Sharpay struggled to even make it to a handstand. She came back to the line with a frown. It was now Vanessa's turn. Kelsi whispered in her ear, "Just do it!" Instead of just doing the flip the correct way, she fell on her bottom when she flipped from the handstand. Kelsi frowned at her when she came back to the line. Gabriella taught Kelsi to flip too, so Kelsi performed just fine.

By the end of the lesson, Vanessa pretended that she had learned to do a single flip. She was capable of much more, but she thought that it was better that Kelsi knew who she really was than all of the class knowing.

Isabella Stanley told the girls that they were welcome to the gym anytime and they now had their own key cards to enter the gym. "Uh, thanks Bella! I was good when I came in anyway…" Sharpay thanked. Isabella Stanley rolled her eyes.

"Fantastic…" Isabella Stanley said just to make Sharpay stop talking. Sharpay walked over to the other girls and began bragging to them too.

Vanessa really didn't want Kelsi to tell everyone who she was, so she whispered in Kelsi's ear. "Meet me at lunch break at the table on the balcony," Vanessa whispered. Kelsi winked as she did a double flip.

The girls met back at Ms. Darbus' classroom. The boys had already arrived back. "Listening!" Ms. Darbus yelled when the chatter built. "Lunch break is in two minutes, pack up and get ready!" Ms. Darbus announced. They all began to pack up and prepare for the special guest arriving after lunch break. Kelsi leaned over to Vanessa, as Kelsi sat on the left to her.

"Psst! Vanessa! Remember the balcony meeting," Kelsi whispered.

"Yep!" Vanessa whispered.

"SHUSH GIRLS!" Ms. Darbus yelled at the sight of them talking.

The bell rang and students went pouring out of Ms. Darbus' classroom. Vanessa knew exactly where she would be heading, the Balcony Table. Vanessa knew that the Balcony Table was only meant for Year 12's who booked it, but as this was a special occasion, this would have to be an exception. The Balcony Table was locked away and above from everyone else in the cafeteria, you could stare down at people, but they'd never see you.


	6. Balcony Table Discussion

There was a secret doorway and a hidden key that Year 12's used to reach the Balcony Table. When Vanessa was Gabriella, Troy, Kelsi, Chad and Taylor once went to explore and discover the hidden secrets of the Balcony Table. The Year 12's hidden roster was in the un-used filing cabinet the teachers had put on the Balcony Floor. Vanessa made her way to the cafeteria and just ordered a sandwich. She stuffed it inside her pocket and made her way up the lift to the Balcony Table. The lift, in the front entrance of East High, went only to the Balcony Table, Principal's Office or Staffroom. If you were ever caught by a Year 12 heading up the lift, you'd need to look like you're in trouble or you were delivering an item to the teachers. The good old sandwich trick for the teachers worked a wonder with the Year 12's. Vanessa ran to the lift and quickly pressed the button. The lift doors opened and she quickly pressed the 3rd floor, where the Balcony Table was. The doors began to slowly shut. Vanessa wished that it would shut quicker. She could hear the footsteps of older kids chatting. "So, I can't wait until the chat in the Balcony Table, I've been waiting to discover the secrets the Balcony Table holds and chat in private since I was in Year 9, when I came to this school," one said.

"Yeh! Me too! I can't wait! HEY! Who's in the lift?" the other one cried.

'Oh no! Quick lift! Shut!' Vanessa thought. 'They must be the kids going into the room today!' she thought.

The lift doors finally shut and she began to rise.

Without the key, used by the Year 12's to access the Balcony Table, the room was sealed shut. Even if you wanted to put your ear up against the door, you couldn't hear a thing. If Vanessa could get there first, then she'd be able to get inside and lock them out. She saw Kelsi making her way up to the Balcony Table when she was buying her sandwich, so she must be inside. The key was hidden under the large sign on the door saying: KEEP OUT! BALCONY TABLE FOR SENIORS ONLY

The lift came to a halt and the doors opened slowly. Vanessa had to act quickly, there was no time to dawdle around and look for the key. She went on her tip-toes and looked under the sign. Nothing there. She went to the door to check if it was open. It was open. She turned the knob and saw the table nicely set up. She spotted Kelsi sitting at the table. "Lock it!" Kelsi mouthed. There were several locks in on the door. Vanessa pressed the button on the door knob, turned the key for the extra lock and flicking a lever to stop anyone coming in.

Loud footsteps came marching out of the lift. As this was Vanessa and Kelsi's first time sitting in at the Balcony Table, they felt scared of what the Year 12's would do to them if they discovered that they were in there. The footsteps lead away to the bathrooms on the left of the lift. Kelsi sighted a laminated sign which said 'Cleaning in Progress' and 'Not for Use Today.'

'If I put the 'Cleaning in Progress' sign up, then that means that they'll wait until the cleaning is finished, but if it's not in use today, we may spot them make their ways back to the cafeteria' Kelsi thought. Without a moment to lose, Kelsi grabbed the sign and shoved it under the door. The footsteps led back to the door.

"All the way here and this sign!" one Year 12 exclaimed.

"Who cares? Let's just steal someone else's turn or ask the teacher to go to the bathroom and we'll sneak in here," the other replied sneakily.

Vanessa and Kelsi let out a sigh of relief. Then they made themselves comfortable on the chair and began their conversation:

_Vanessa_

**Kelsi**

**So, Vanessa, or should I say Gabriella, let's first of all move the table back so people can't see us from the cafeteria, just in case. **

(Moves the table back)

**Now that no one can see or hear us, why did you choose to be Vanessa?**

_Kelsi, I wanted to test my friendship, that's all._

**Can you tell me your findings?**

_Yes, Troy seems like he gets really grumpy when the real me isn't around and you know a friend when you see one._

**I wonder why Troy doesn't seem to notice your voice in the Talent Show. I'm surprised that no-one came up to you after the show to tell you!**

_I guess that's just one of those things, when they see the face, they know the voice. I guess…_

**I can't believe you could hold that real gymnast in you when Isabella Stanley came… It must have been so hard!**

_Yes Kelsi it was pretty difficult but if you had continued winking and whispering to me like that, someone could have been suspicious!_

**No need to get grumpy… Anyway, I think we should get out of here before some other Year 12's come to discover their findings…**

_OK, just please, don't spread the secret around, I've got three days left in my sick week. One more question before we leave. Please keep Troy from getting grumpy because it gets me so angry? _

**Sure Gabriella, your secret is safe with me. I'll try my best to keep Troy getting angry… Anything else?**

_Yes. Please stop winking at me._

**I think we should go now… alright, I'll keep myself from winking. Let's go before someone sees us. Have you got the sandwich?**

_Yes! Quick, take the key._

Vanessa and Kelsi grabbed the key and opened the door cautiously and carefully, making sure there was no-one around. They tiptoed out the door and Kelsi slipped the key back under the sign and Vanessa pulled the sandwich out of her pocket and pressed the button for the lift. "If there are any Year 12's in the lift, say we pressed the wrong button," whispered Kelsi. Vanessa nodded. The lift bell rung as the doors opened slowly as Vanessa heard voices from inside the lift. There _were _Year 12's inside the lift!

"Oh my GOSH! What on EARTH are you DOING HERE!?" a girl called Cindy screamed at the sight of the two holding a sandwich.

"Um, we're taking this sandwich to Ms. Darbus, she forgot it in the classroom," Vanessa stuttered.

"Then what are you DOING in on the BALCONY TABLE FLOOR?!" Cindy screamed back.

"We pressed the wrong button!" Kelsi screamed to compete against her.

"Well, well, you're safe this time, but the next time we catch you up here, you will be PUBLICALLY HUMILIATED!!" Cindy yelled at the top of her lungs.

The group exited the lift as Vanessa and Kelsi walked inside the lift and pressed the button to ground floor. "Oh my gosh! That was horrible," Vanessa said relieved.

"Yes, I've seen that Cindy girl before, she's HORRIBLE, I had to be her Year 11 activity partner when we were in Year 10. That was one of the worst times in my school life," Kelsi said reflecting.

The lift bell rang again and they walked out of the lift. They sighed a sigh of relief. Back to the cafeteria!


	7. Lucida Peters

Vanessa and Kelsi walked back into the cafeteria, with a sign of achievement. They joined the short queue remaining to collect food as the bell rang. "Doesn't matter," Kelsi said hopefully to Vanessa. "I'll give you something from my bag to eat," she added. Vanessa nodded. She was extra hungry.

The students went pouring out of the cafeteria. Vanessa saw Troy dawdling back to Ms. Darbus' class. They'd be visited by Lucida Peters, from the Singing Institute of America, Vanessa remembered. Kelsi and Vanessa made it back to the classroom last, as they had no energy with the lack of food. Kelsi raised her hand as Ms. Darbus marched into the classroom. "Yes Kelsi?" Ms. Darbus asked and pointed over the heads at her.

"Ms. Darbus, Vanessa and I had to run an errant for Coach Bolton and we didn't get time to eat, if we don't eat now, then we won't have any energy to sing our best," Kelsi whined then smiled at Vanessa when Ms. Darbus turned away to collect something from her desk.

"Have you got anything from your bag?" Ms. Darbus asked with a 'Late Pass' in her hand.

"Yes Ms. Darbus," Kelsi answered.

"Then take this and go to the cafeteria to eat, when you come back, we'll probably already be in the hall ready for the workshop," Ms. Darbus instructed and handed over two 'Late Passes' to Vanessa and Kelsi. They ran out of the room with the 'Late Passes' in their hands. Kelsi ran over to her locker and grabbed the two sandwiches and two milk shakes in a pack and they ran to the cafeteria. Just as they were about to push the doors open leading to the cafeteria, through the windows in the doors they spotted Cindy and her group of friends.

"Duck!" Kelsi whispered. They both ducked down as they saw Cindy and her group of friends disappear near the front entrance. They must have used the feeling-sick-need-to-go-to-the-toilet excuse to go to the Balcony Table, just as Kelsi and Vanessa overheard. Kelsi and Vanessa sat at the table directly under the balcony, the only table in the cafeteria the people at the Balcony Table couldn't see.

They ate in silence, listening to their conversation. The lunch lady walked over to Vanessa and Kelsi with a broom in her hand. "What are ya doin' here?" she asked. Kelsi swallowed the bite of her sandwich and showed her the 'Late Pass.' "OK, you eat then!" the lunch lady added as she went of to sweep the cafeteria clean. Kelsi and Vanessa swallowed their last bites as they grabbed their late passes and ran to the hall.

They heard singing from inside the hall. They pushed the large heavy doors open and the singing stopped and all eyes turned to the pair. They could hear whispering of their names in the crowd. "Excuse me, please," Ms. Darbus announced. "Please continue," Ms. Darbus added. Ms. Darbus got up from her front seat and walked quickly to Vanessa and Kelsi. "Children, take a seat there and give me your passes," she whispered, took their passes and pointed to two seats next to Troy.

"Hi, is it Lenessa and Nelsi? Today we'll be showing each other our voices and talents, then we'll spread out and get into groups and we'll rotate," Lucida Peters announced into the microphone directing to Vanessa and Kelsi. They smiled at her and stood up.

"It's Vanessa and this is Kelsi," Vanessa shouted so that Lucida could hear from the stage.

"Ok then, we'll start with you then, Vanessa, please come up and sing any song and tell us the piece of song," Lucida announced. "We'll have to go without music or if someone knows the song, then you can ask someone to come and play it," she added.

"Kelsi, please," Vanessa whispered into Kelsi's ear.

Kelsi stood and they walked to the stage. "I heard this song on the recording of the school's CD and I'm going to sing it," Vanessa announced to the whole of the Year 10 – 11's. Vanessa began to sing 'When there was you and me.' She directed her eyes to Troy, who seemed to be swaying, then stopping to think, then began swaying again. Before long, the song concluded and Lucida Peters made an announcement.

"Fantastic song from Vanessa, she will be in Group 1 vocals, raise your hand if you object?" Lucida announced.

"Me! Me!" Sharpay screamed, dragging Ryan up too.

"I think not," Lucida announced.

The rest of the whole grades sang and were separated into the 5 groups of vocals except one. It all boiled down to Sharpay. She sang Bop to the Top and Lucida was just standing there, waiting for her to finish. "You know, Lucida, I should really be put into Group 1 vocals," Sharpay bragged when she had sung the last note, there was actually no-one there to see her sing the last note because they had all been seperated into groups.

"I think I'm going to upgrade _Ryan_ to Group 1 vocals and swap you with Group 2, that's my final decision," Lucida announced. "Object?" she added. No one raised their hand because no-one except for Ms. Darbus was in the crowd, and even Ms. Darbus seemed happy with that decision.

"Uh! People here just can't appreciate my _brilliance_!" Sharpay snapped and walked off into Group 2.

All five groups were separated into different rooms. Vanessa peered around the room and saw Troy. Vanessa rolled her eyes, another day in his misery. Group 1 were singing with Lucida Peters, she began by randomly pairing everyone up with a boy/girl. Vanessa got paired up with _Ryan_. Troy was paired up with Taylor. When it came to performance time, both pairs didn't sound as good as it would have been if it was paired differently…

Vanessa and Taylor thought it was too short when Lucida Peters announced that that was the end of the session. What happened to rotating as she had told Vanessa and Kelsi when they walked in? "Excuse me Lucida, why didn't we have a longer session?" Taylor asked.

"I'm sorry Taylor, I have to move quick smart to some other school," Lucida replied as she quickly grabbed her belongings and jogged out the door.

"That was her only excuse?" Vanessa whispered in Taylor's ear.

"Yep! I can't believe it," Taylor whispered back.

Students from around the hallway returned back to class, Taylor, Vanessa, Troy and Ryan didn't have to move anywhere because they were already in Ms. Darbus' class. "Sit down class and pack up your belongings, it's been a long day and we should be quick about this," Ms. Darbus announced. The class packed up and left the classroom.

'Two days down, three to go,' Vanessa/Gabriella thought.


	8. Third Day

Another day, the third day after Gabriella's star struck idea, to create herself into another person and see exactly what her friends reacted and discovered.

So far, the only person who had discovered was Kelsi. When Gabriella had finished her one week of school pretending to be Vanessa, Kelsi could be a new source of good eyes as a new skill.

Vanessa woke up nice and early and ran out of her bedroom, towards the bathroom. No-one was awake. Gabriella hadn't told her parents, especially her mother, that she was pretending to be someone else. All she had told her was that she was using a new style of hair. Instead of asking her mother to take her to school, she agreed to walk to school, because if anyone caught her taking a ride with her real mother, then they'd know straight away that she wasn't a new student.

Vanessa grabbed her school bag and began walking to school, an advantage of walking to school on early mornings was that you weren't seen walking out of your real house. Walking home late was also advantage, except you sometimes do have to look out for students going to specialist activities driving past your house.

The students who had also arrived early were packed in the school entrance, the school was locked until 8:00AM. Vanessa peered at her watch, it read 7:20AM. 'Long to go,' Vanessa thought. She sat on the ground and read her book.

Before long Kelsi walked in, it was 10 minutes to 8. "Hey Vanessa," she said as she walked through the door. Vanessa raised her hand without looking up but it meant as if to say 'hi.'

Today would be a shorter day than normal, because there were parent-teacher interviews. Vanessa didn't have to worry about it, because Ms. Darbus just told her yesterday, "Don't worry about taking this parent-teacher notice home today, because you haven't been at East High for very long. Just tell your parents that you've been very good and we will meet up later this year."

Vanessa/Gabriella just decided to not mention anything to her parents. It would cause too much of a stir.

Ring! The bell rang to begin the day of school. "Come on!" Kelsi shouted as she tugged Vanessa up from where she was sitting.

"Hang on! Let me pack up," Vanessa said, resisting her tug.

"We want to get in the classroom so we can have a look at Ms. Darbus' new props for her new 'Drama Lessons,'" Kelsi explained.

"I'm ready, let's go," Vanessa announced.

Off they went, running towards the classroom, climbing stairs as fast as they could without tripping and dodging students trying to dodge them. Everyone was heading to Ms. Darbus' classroom. Posters hung around everywhere had the words in giant letters 'COME TO MS. DARBUS' CLASSROOM TO SEE THE NEW COSTUMES TODAY AT LUNCH BREAK, BEFORE SCHOOL OR JUST BEFORE PARENT-TEACHER INTERVIEWS BEGIN.'

As Vanessa and Kelsi came near the classroom, they could hear Ms. Darbus' voice screaming over the others, "EXCUSE ME CHILDREN! QUIET! QUIET! I REPEAT, QUIET! CLEAR THE WAY SO I CAN ACTUALLY REACH THE BOX!" It sounded like chaos was happening. Without a moment to loose, Vanessa and Kelsi ran to the door and looked through the windows.

Ms. Darbus' head was bopping around and was slowly making her way to her desk. Kelsi saw Cindy leaning on the door inside, so since she was so mean to them when they _accidentally_ travelled to the third floor. She'd get something back from them. "You grab the door knob, then we'll walk to our lockers like nothing happened," Kelsi whispered.

Vanessa grabbed the doorknob and pushed it down. It flung open and out came Cindy, she stumbled back a bit, then fell on her bottom and screamed. People from inside peered at her for a while, then looked back at Ms. Darbus, they didn't want to miss any action. There were other people around the doors, so it didn't look much like Vanessa and Kelsi did it. Vanessa walked to her locker, pulled it open and was showing Kelsi a photo of a map. The students standing around the door began laughing, and that's not a good thing to do when someone falls out the door angry. "Now! WHICH ONE OF YOU HERE DID THIS?!" Cindy screamed at the people laughing at her around the doorway. Compared to Ms. Darbus' scream, her scream was like a whisper. She never caught who actually did it, so it was OK.

About half an hour after school started, the crowd gradually came out of the classroom. Troy, Vanessa, Kelsi, Taylor and Chad were standing restlessly at the doorway with their books in their hands. "Great way to go to school but not study!" Chad said enthusiastically.

"Please clear out of the classroom children, we have our Year 11's trying to get in because the day is starting, you'll have to explain to your teacher why you're so incredibly late when you return back to class!" Ms. Darbus announced in a rush, as she led the students that weren't in her class out the door and ushered her students inside.

It took a while for most of the other students to fix their eyes away from the new costumes and direct them towards the doorway. "Come back later!" Ms. Darbus screamed as they walked out. They looked back and nodded. "Take a seat," Ms. Darbus announced to the whole class whilst shutting the door and hanging a sign stating 'Come back later' on the door. "As you all know, as you were all waiting outside, I was showing students some of my new costumes. I'll show you them now so you don't have to come back at lunch break and make the classroom even squishier," Ms. Darbus announced. Ms. Darbus pulled out a trunk and turned the golden key and the lid flung open. "As you all know, there are Parent-Teacher interviews are today, so after lunch break, we have 15 minutes in, then we're going out," Ms. Darbus added.

Ms. Darbus took out the costumes and showed them to the class. When she held it in the air, she began a long winded summary about it. 'This was made in Russia, it's made of silk and it was made by blah blah blah,' thought Vanessa.

It took so long for Ms. Darbus to show them 5 costumes and just as Ms. Darbus finished her last word, the lunch break bell rang. Lunch break time!


	9. Parent Teacher Interviews

It was time for lunch break, and after a long winded description of all of the costumes, they all needed a break and some food.

Vanessa, Troy, Kelsi, Taylor and Chad walked together to the cafeteria. It looked almost empty. "Hey, heaps of seats to choose from," Chad noticed. It was hard to decide which table to sit at, because there were just so many to choose from. Zeke was sitting alone, with some cakes he baked. "ZEKE!" Chad screamed a few times to get his attention, but didn't notice he was already looking up at him.

"Yes Chad," Zeke answered. "Come sit down," he added. They all sat down and waited for someone to mention another word.

"Well Zeke, why are you feeling so glum?" Taylor asked.

"Well, it's just that I asked Sharpay and Ryan to sit with me today so we could talk about when they could come to my house and learn some baking," Zeke admitted.

"Oh, please excuse me," Taylor said.

"Psst! Kel, I don't think they're interested in baking," Taylor whispered to Kelsi.

"Well, Zeke, I don't think they're interested," Kelsi admitted.

Taylor shoved Kelsi in the shoulder and looked at her with a frown.

"Why not?" Zeke asked.

"Not everyone is interested, Zeke," Taylor explained.

"I guess so, I don't want to sit here anymore, here, take the muffin," Zeke glumly said and pushed the muffin hard along the table and it went whizzing into Chad's chest.

"Mine now!" Chad said enthusiastically but no-one was in the mood.

They'd all wasted time trying to talk to Zeke and didn't notice the time fly by. Lunch break was over and they didn't even get to eat anything. They needed food, but it was too late now, the bell was about to go.

Ring! There it went, and they had no food to eat. It wasn't just Taylor or Troy who didn't eat, it was all of them. "Grr! I'm starving! Geez!" Troy grouched.

"Hey! You're not the only one who didn't eat, this is our second day in a row Vanessa and I didn't eat at lunch break," Kelsi responded.

"Yeh!" Vanessa added.

"Later then, I'll meet you all at parent-teacher interviews, cafeteria is open then," Kelsi decided. They all nodded in agreement.

So, as a hungry group, they made their way back to the classroom. Kelsi really felt like telling the others 'Now you know how I feel' but she'd keep it inside because they're probably grouchy and hungry enough.

"Welcome back to class students," Ms. Darbus announced all happy and cheerful.

"Hi Ms. Darbuss," Troy responded, so lack of energy.

"Fifteen minutes back inside, so I thought we'd do a small game," Ms. Darbus announced cheerfully.

"Uh… no… I hate Ms. Darbus' 'small games,'" Kelsi whispered to Vanessa. She nodded back.

"What's that Kelsi!?" Ms. Darbus shouted.

"Nothing Ms. Darbus," Kelsi replied.

"I heard something, you can start the game then," Ms. Darbus announced. "We're playing 'Ms. Darbus' Fun-filled Musical Drama Chairs' and we all know how to play this, Kelsi, when you're ready, sing," Ms. Darbus announced.

"I feel so sorry for you Kel," Taylor whispered when she walked past Kelsi when she went to set up the chairs to play the game.

The aim of Ms. Darbus' Fun-filled Musical Drama Chairs was to pretend to be performing the song the singer was singing, and when she stops, they rush to a chair. It works the same as Musical Chairs, but Ms. Darbus' way.

Kelsi walked behind the curtains at the front of Ms. Darbus' classroom and found a keyboard, she sat behind there and began playing 'Breaking Free.' Troy began singing the words to the song and as he danced around the corner of the oval the chairs were set up in, the song stopped and he dashed without thinking to the chair he thought was right next to him. There was nothing there, so he fell to the ground and slid across to Ms. Darbus. "Sit here Troy," Ms. Darbus said pointing to the chair next to her.

Troy sat down and watched the other student dance around and dash for chairs. "Go and replace Kelsi," Ms. Darbus instructed. Troy nodded and disappeared behind the curtains and Kelsi came out of the curtains.

Troy began singing and the same drill happened with the students. Ring! The bell rang to end the day and begin Parent-Teacher interviews. Without a second thought, they all rushed out of the class and left Ms. Darbus standing in the middle of the class, staring at the chairs. They were left in a riot, a majority of them pushed over.

Ms. Darbus let out a deep sigh as she picked up the chairs and arranged them in the way they were before the students had spun a tornado through them so the parents won't think that this is the way they have it everyday.

Coach Bolton walked in the classroom without knocking and gave Ms. Darbus an unpleasant shock. "EXCUSE ME!" Ms. Darbus screamed without second thought.

"Oh! Darbus what do you think you're telling me, it's parent-teacher interviews," Coach Bolton snapped back.

"Sorry BOLTON! Let's begin," Ms. Darbus snapped in defence.

"Well, all should be good because Troy is a good student," Coach Bolton began.

"Yes, that's true, but I need to ask you a question. Troy, you see is joining the Drama Club and he is also apart of the Wildcats, but he needs good commitment to the Drama Club and Wildcats. He needs to choose one which he will dedicate to and the other will just be a back-up, and if he chooses either, then one will be left as the lowest mark for commitment. I am writing reports now, and I'm sure you are too, and we mark for commitment and effort. The effort in one area can be fantastic, but the commitment won't be there. I'm happy for you to go and discuss this with Troy or you can decide for him. What is your decision? Wildcats or Drama Club?" Ms. Darbus explained.

"Well, you know my answer, I am a _coach_ and coaches support whatever they teach, I'm sure that if you were deciding, then you would choose the Drama Club. Correct?" Coach Bolton asked.

"Yes, certainly, of course I'd choose the Drama Club because that is what I teach and mark," Ms. Darbus replied.

"Well, then my decision, whether Troy likes it or not is the Wildcats! I have to go! Good day Darbus," Coach Bolton snapped and walked out the door.

Kelsi, Troy, Chad, Taylor and Vanessa sat at the cafeteria eating their lunch. It felt so good to cease the hunger.

Ms. Darbus prepared her seats and made the classroom neater for the next parent. Mrs. Neilsen knocked on the door and walked inside.

"Ah! Mrs. Nielsen!" Ms. Darbus greeted.

"Hello Ms. Darbus," Mrs. Nielson greeted.

"Now, Kelsi has been committing herself to the Drama Club by composing and accompanying the students when they sing, she has a fantastic talent for the piano and she is sure to score in my class," Ms. Darbus explained.

"Thank you Ms. Darbus, I'll be sure to tell her. I need to ask you, is there anything else she can do to earn extra marks from Drama Club?" Mrs. Nielson asked.

"No Mrs. Nielson. She has earned full marks for Drama Club for both effort and commitment," Ms. Darbus replied.

"Thanks Ms. Darbus and good bye," Mrs. Nielson thanked and walked out the door waving her hand.

"Good bye Mrs. Nielsen," Ms. Darbus waved and packed up the chairs.

Mrs. Nielson walked to the cafeteria and collected Kelsi and they left. Troy was still in the cafeteria, confused of where his father had gone.

"Anyone inside?" Mr. Danforth asked as he knocked on the door.

"Yes, come in Mr. Danforth," Ms. Darbus invited.

Mr. Danforth opened the door and took a seat.

"So, how has Chad been?" Mr. Danforth asked.

"Well, so far so good, but I have been seeing him lately in detention… but after the actual Drama Club Twinkle Towne Winter Musicale, his face wasn't shown in detention after that," Ms. Darbus explained.

"That's good news," Mr. Danforth replied.

"Either then that, he's been very committed to the Wildcats, and Coach Bolton will tell you that if you're seeing him," Ms. Darbus explained.

"OK, I'm actually going to see him," Mr. Danforth explained.

"Bye then!" Ms. Darbus said.

"Bye bye!" Mr. Danforth said whilst walking out the door.

Mr. Danforth went off to see Coach Bolton.

"Come in Mr. McKessie!" greeted Ms. Darbus.

"Hello Ms. Darbus, good to see you," greeted Mr. McKessie.

"Taylor has been to detention once this year, and although she's not committed to the club, she does put effort into my classes. She's well committed to her maths classes, and you can see the maths teacher for her marks on that. I've given her a B for her mark in this class," Ms. Darbus explained.

"Thank you Ms. Darbus, I'll be seeing her maths teacher and I'll tell her that information," Mr. McKessie explained.

"Thank you, good bye," said Ms. Darbus.

"Bye!" Mr. McKessie waved.

Ms. Darbus interviewed the rest of the class' parents and by the time she had finished, Taylor, Chad, Troy, Vanessa and Kelsi had gone home. It was getting dark and Ms. Darbus had to prepare for another day.


	10. Visit

"Hi sweetie," Mrs. Montez greeted when Gabriella/Vanessa walked through the front door.

"Hi mum!" Gabriella/Vanessa greeted.

"Why are you so late? It's gotten dark," Mrs. Montez asked.

"Oh, I had some late training for my maths class," Gabriella/Vanessa made up.

"OK then, better hurry inside, it's getting cold," Mrs. Montez hurried and ushered her inside.

Vanessa/Gabriella scurried inside their house and ran upstairs. Ding dong! The doorbell rung and Mrs. Montez opened it wide. Vanessa was still in her disguise so she ripped it off and washed her face. Gabriella peeked at the people in the doorway from the side of the stairs.

It was Troy, Taylor, Chad, Zeke and Kelsi. "Is Gabriella here?" Troy asked. Before Mrs. Montez could say another word and mention all about the 'late maths classes,' Gabriella ran down the stairs and started coughing.

Gabriella began to pretend to have a fit of coughing then she acted unwell and stuttered, "Mum, **cough** you can **cough** go to **cough** make the **cough** dinner."

Her mother was puzzled by her sudden act and just replied with, "Whatever you say sweetie."

"So **cough** how have **cough** you **cough** been? What **cough** have I **cough** missed?" Gabriella finally made out.

"Well Gabriella, we've really missed you," Taylor announced for the whole group.

"Well **cough** I'm not sure **cough** I could **cough** come **cough** tomorrow because **cough** clearly, I'm **cough** still sick," Gabriella struggled.

Kelsi started giggling at the sight of Gabriella pretending to be sick, as she knew that Gabriella was just going undercover.

"Kelsi!" Chad snapped.

"Sorry," Kelsi tried to say without giggling her head off.

If Troy, Taylor, Chad, Zeke and Kelsi were to visit her everyday, she would have to get home really early, even if it meant running then walking in front of her real home and then running in when no-one was looking.

"We've had a new girl at school, her name is Vanessa," Troy announced.

"Oh **cough**," Gabriella tried to say without giggling.

"She sits with us and she's become quite good friends with Kelsi, isn't that right?" Troy asked.

"Yes, sure is," Kelsi smiled and sneaked in a wink when no-one was looking at her except Gabriella.

'No!' Gabriella mouthed to Kelsi.

'O-K,' Kelsi mouth-replied.

"I think you should really meet her, she seems a lot like you," Troy explained.

"I'm sure I'd like to meet her too, do you know how long she'll be staying?" Gabriella asked smiling.

"Hang on, how did _you_ know that?! Vanessa never told us anything about staying!" Troy exclaimed.

"Oh yes she did!" Kelsi defended. "She told me!" Kelsi added.

"No need to get all hyped up!" Chad butted in.

"Alright **cough**," Gabriella concluded. "I'm **cough** sorry but I have to go!" Gabriella added before shutting the door.

They walked away in a line, Troy, Chad, Zeke, Taylor then Kelsi. Gabriella sneaked in the 'call me' hand action as Kelsi waved good-bye.

"Gabriella! Dinner is ready, why didn't you invite your friends in to have dinner with us?" Mrs. Montez asked.

"Oh, mum, they had to go somewhere, I wanted to invite them in," Gabriella covered.

"OK sweetie, I'm sure you'll see them tomorrow then," Mrs. Montez announced.

"I will mum," Gabriella replied.

"Enough talking, it's time to eat, sit down and we can eat," Mrs. Montez instructed.

Gabriella and Mrs. Montez sat down at the dinner table and ate their dinners. As Gabriella chewed on her food, she thought about what she would do the next day, not as Gabriella but as Vanessa.


	11. Fourth Day

Vanessa rushed through the doors of her classroom. Troy, Taylor and Chad were sitting gloomily at their seats with their heads slouched down towards their tables. Before they could look up and glance at the person who had just marched into the door, Vanessa tapped Kelsi and they both whisked outside to chat.

The corridor was empty, as all students had already entered their classrooms. School was about to start in three minutes, and today they were informed by telephone the last night to come to school early and clear the corridor during school times. "Kelsi, what's with the gloomy faces inside?" Vanessa whispered.

"Don't you know, _Gabriella,_ what happened last night?" Kelsi answered.

"Oh, is what the drama is about?" Vanessa asked.

"What do you think?" Kelsi questioned.

"Oh whatever, anyway, how come you never talked to them?" Vanessa enquired.

"Would you talk to someone who would scream if a mosquito flew past them?" Kelsi demanded.

"No. Anyway, are they that angry?" Vanessa realised.

"Yes! THEY ARE!" Kelsi almost screamed loud enough for the whole school to hear.

"Shhh! Hurry up and get in! Class is going to start," Vanessa snapped.

Vanessa shoved the door open and walked inside quietly as she whispered to Kelsi, "I have a plan, don't say anything." Vanessa sat in her seat without making a sound and so did Kelsi. Vanessa tapped Taylor on the shoulder. "Taylor, Taylor," Vanessa repeatedly whispered into Taylor's ear.

"WHAT!?" Taylor yelled and the whole class peered at her. At that same moment, Ms. Darbus strolled in the door.

"What is the meaning of this unpleasant behaviour of screaming at the top of your lungs when you were warned last night to sit quietly in the classroom and keep the corridor CLEAR!" Ms. Darbus grumbled.

"It was Taylor Ms. Darbus," Sharpay dobbed. "Most of us were sitting quietly when Taylor gave us all a fright when she bellowed in a really loud voice," she added.

"Is this true Taylor?" Ms. Darbus questioned.

Taylor sat at her desk in silence. 'It's all my fault,' Vanessa kept thinking to herself.

"IS THIS TRUE MS. McKESSIE?" Ms. Darbus bellowed. Taylor sat in silence once again.

"SHALL I SEND YOU TO THE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE AND YOU CAN DO SOME EXPLAINING THERE?" Ms. Darbus shrieked.

"I'm happy to GO!" Taylor snapped and she headed for the door.

Vanessa raised her hand. "Yes Vanessa," Ms. Darbus answered.

"May I go to the bathroom?" Vanessa enquired.

"Take a friend," Ms. Darbus approved.

"Kelsi," Vanessa called and used a hand movement to usher her.

Kelsi and Vanessa walked out the doorway and waited until the door closed completely until they whispered together. "Oh my gosh! What have I done!" Vanessa whispered.

"I don't know, but this definitely can't be good," Kelsi answered.

"We've got an angry Taylor gone to the principal's office and three other unhappy customers back there," Vanessa explained.

"Maybe we could tell Ms. Darbus that we have an errand to do and then we could sneak around and look for Taylor," Kelsi suggested.

"Fantastic!" Vanessa agreed.

So Vanessa and Kelsi began to talk about their game-plan as they walked to the bathroom.


	12. Mission Taylor

Vanessa pulled the handle and pushed the door open to their classroom. Ms. Darbus was in the middle of a boring explanation about the 'issues' with teenagers and why they should further 'participate' in her drama concerts. "Excuse me Ms. Darbus," Kelsi announced.

"WHO IS IT?! Oh, welcome back Kelsi and Vanessa, take a seat and I will ask someone to give you a brief description about this subject," Ms. Darbus greeted.

"Oh… actually Ms. Darbus, we have a message to tell you," Kelsi reminded.

"Your speech is granted," Ms. Darbus instructed.

"We need to run an errand for the principal, he just stopped us when we were along the way to the toilet and he needs us to patrol the corridors to make sure they're clear," Kelsi explained.

"Here is your hall pass, you must be back by after lunch break," Ms. Darbus insured.

Kelsi and Vanessa grabbed their hall passes and headed out the door, with a tiny smirk on their faces. "Now, here's what we do…you go to the principal's office and watch on Taylor and I'll stand on corridor guard so that if someone comes from our class we can explain what we said to Ms. Darbus," Vanessa ordered.

"Alright, I'll text you when she's out, I'll make a run for it when the principal says his 'I hope you learned from this…' speech," Kelsi explained.

"OK, we'll be late if we don't act now," Vanessa said.

--Kelsi's Mission--

Kelsi tip-toed towards the Principal's office and slid across the floor underneath the classroom windows. "Good morning Ms. McKessie, do you have a message for me?" Kelsi overheard.

"No, I don't actually, Ms. Darbus sent me."

"What for?"

"Well, I need to _explain_ something to you."

"Hang on please Taylor, I need to call Ms. Darbus to ask exactly why you were sent."

The principal picked up the phone and pressed some numbers following a chart to the left of the phone.

"Hello, Ms. Darbus here, who might this be?" Ms. Darbus greeted.

"Oh, hello Ms. Darbus, this is the person calling from the head office," greeted the Principal.

"Hello! I've sent Ms. McKessie to do some explaining," Ms. Darbus explained.

"I know this information already, Ms. McKessie told me. Tell me what sort of explaining," the Principal replied.

"Ms. McKessie was screaming out in an disorderly manner when they were properly warned last night by phone call to keep quiet in the classroom and corridors," Ms. Darbus recalled.

"That is all I needed to find out, thank you Ms. Darbus and I shall see you in the staff room," the Principal signed off.

Kelsi heard a telephone slam down.

"Well Ms. McKessie, I've heard from Ms. Darbus that you have not listened to the message sent personally for you one by one last night and that you have broken our rules," the Principal described.

"Please, call me Taylor," Taylor responded.

"Well _Taylor_, please tell me what was going through your mind when you were having a yell," the Principal requested.

"I had a bad day last night," Taylor remembered.

"What exactly happened? If you don't mind telling me," the Principal asked with comfort.

"I'm not giving you details, but I just went to visit a friend and she was just sick and kind of unhappy," Taylor stated in short details.

"Well, you seem pretty upset, are there any other people involved in this?" the Principal questioned and wrote some notes down on an assessment paper.

"Troy, Chad, Zeke and Kelsi," Taylor named.

"I'll speak to them, I'm sending you to the student council to speak to someone," the Principal decided. "I'm expecting a 'Student Council Assessment Result' from you after lunch break and Troy, Zeke, Chad and Kelsi will be joining you," the Principal concluded. "Please take this envelope and give it to Mrs. Dennis, please don't open it," the Principal added as he gave Taylor an envelope.

"Thank you," Taylor thanked glumly.

"I hope you've learned from this…" the Principal did his usual concluding statement.

'Statement done and I'm supposed to be in Student Council. Envelope handed,' Kelsi wrote in her text.

'Go 2 toilets,' Vanessa sent in her reply.

Kelsi ran as fast as she could towards the toilets. There was no-one standing outside the doors, so she shoved the door open. No-one there. So Kelsi kicked every toilet door open until she reached the last one. There was Vanessa. "Hey, hey, didn't you see my text?" Vanessa questioned.

"What text?" Kelsi asked. Vanessa peered at her cell phone, she had forgotten to send her message, 'In last toilet. C U there.'

"Sorry, this one," Vanessa answered and pressed send.

BEEP BEEP, BEEP BEEP

"Alright…" Kelsi said confused with a smile on her face. "All that kicking for nothing…" she whispered to herself.

"Explain," Vanessa demanded.

"Well, all I heard was that Taylor or Ms. McKessie giggles was questioned by the Principal about what was going through her mind, blah blah and what happened," Kelsi explained.

"I'm going for my 'Corridor Monitoring' now… alright; you better keep away from Taylor, Chad or Troy. If they ask me where you are, I'll just say I don't know. It'll be hard to keep away from them but I'll keep a close watch-out in the corridor where they are and when they have gone to the Student Council I'll head in the bathroom where you'll just have to wait or in the storeroom," Vanessa instructed. "Oh, and I'd prefer the bathroom over the storeroom," Vanessa added.

"Keep your phone on silent and I'll text you, I'll keep mine on silent too," Kelsi recognised.

"Bye Kelsi," Vanessa departed as she waved.

Kelsi waved back and they were onto their mission.


	13. Student Council

Vanessa ran out of the toilet and as she came closer to Ms. Darbus' class, she walked casually and drew attention to herself by banging items on the side of the locker. Ms. Darbus peered through the window and made her eyes look like slits in addition to putting her pair of glasses at the tip of her nose.

"EXCUSE ME CLASS!" Ms. Darbus bellowed. Vanessa had her eyes turned towards the other classroom, so it didn't look like she was just standing there watching their lesson. She pretended to talk to somebody, then yell at the 'pretend person' as Ms. Darbus marched out of the classroom. Vanessa had a great excuse…

"Excuse me Vanessa, please explain to me what on earth is – (RING RING Ms. Darbus' mobile phone) Oh, please excuse me," Ms. Darbus began.

"No worries," Vanessa said. "Saved," she whispered. Vanessa continued to walk along the corridor and Ms. Darbus returned to her classroom to answer her phone.

"Hello, East High, Ms. Darbus speaking," Ms. Darbus greeted.

"Oh hi, this is Mrs. Meldrew speaking, representative of the Student Council. I'd like to ask you to get some students for me," Mrs. Meldrew greeted.

"Oh, hello Mandy. You know, you could call via the school system, seeing as we are in one school. My class number is 124. Please call me through there next time, anyway, who would you like and where are you?" Ms. Darbus advised.

"Alright Ms. Darbus. I'm not at the school at the moment, but I'm coming, just finding a car park. Can I have Troy Bolton, Taylor McKessie, Chad Danforth, Zeke and Kelsi Neilson in room 153 in the next five minutes?" Mrs. Meldrew requested.

"Yes, certainly Mandy. I'll send them over," Ms. Darbus answered.

"Thanks, bye Ms. Darbus," Mrs. Meldrew concluded.

'Council coming. Stay in toilet and stay silent,' Vanessa quickly texted.

--FIVE MINUTES LATER--

"Troy, Taylor, Chad, Zeke and Kelsi are to be in room 153 immediately," Ms. Darbus announced.

"Yes Ms. Darbus," Troy whined gloomily.

"Where is that Kelsi?" Chad asked with no concern.

"KELSI!" Ms. Darbus yelled.

"Oh, excuse me Ms. Darbus," Sharpay screamed out and raised her hand.

"Yes… Sharpay," Ms. Darbus gave Sharpay the all ok to speak.

"Kelsi and that Vanessa girl have gone for Corridor Duty… remember?" Sharpay reminded.

"Very well done Sharpay, that's fantastic, everybody should look up to Sharpay Evans as a role-model," Ms. Darbus praised.

"HOORAY!" Zeke suddenly enthusiastically cheered.

"I can see that _someone_ doesn't need to go to Student Council," Troy said boringly.

"Zeke, you stay behind… you'll cause too much disturbance if you attend," Ms. Darbus agreed.

"HOORAY!" Zeke cheered again.

Sighs grew from the whole class.

"This is going to be a _long_ day…" Ryan remarked.

"Shush!" Sharpay snapped and Ryan frowned.

"Go along now Chad and Troy, and I'll go and look for Kelsi, where is that Vanessa?" Ms. Darbus ushered.

'What is happening?' Kelsi texted to Vanessa.

'Keep clear and silent moving… Ms. Darbus is looking for you via me… I've got an act,' Vanessa replied.

'Alright. I'm in closet now. Corridor clear?' Kelsi sent.

'Yes,' Vanessa advised.

--AT STUDENT COUNCIL--

Chad and Troy had just walked through the doors of room 153 and met Taylor and Mrs. Meldrew inside.

"Hello and welcome to Student Council, I'll run the roll," Mrs. Meldrew welcomed. "Chad," Mrs. Meldrew called.

"Here!" Chad fake smiled as he pretended he was really interested.

"Now that's a problem, sit over there Chad," Mrs. Meldrew directed whilst pointing to a chair near the corner of the room. "Have a moment to think about what you're going to say next," she disciplined like he was a small child. "Taylor," Mrs. Meldrew called.

"Here," Taylor announced in her normal voice.

"Troy," Mrs. Meldrew called.

"Present," Troy tried a new way to say that he was here.

"Zeke," Mrs. Meldrew called.

(SILENCE)

"Not here," Mrs. Meldrew remarked to herself.

"Kelsi," Mrs. Meldrew called.

(SILENCE)

"Absent," Mrs. Meldrew said as she crossed a box.

Mrs. Meldrew pointed to several places in the rooms, which happened to be corners with chairs and asked Taylor, Chad and Troy to sit down and think about why they were here. There was a calm silence building in the room and Mrs. Meldrew was just about to sit down in serenity to sip some tea when a loud noise shook the room. "MELDREW!" Coach Bolton bellowed while shoving the door open. It was now lunch break and Coach Bolton needed Troy and Chad for training.

No one knew that it was Lunch Break because room 153 had their speaker turned off to encourage silence and serenity.

"Hello," Mrs. Meldrew greeted with a shocked face. "Please students, come back to your serenity," she encouraged.

"MELDREW! WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING WITH TROY BOLTON AND CHAD DANFORTH?!" Coach Bolton roared.

"They were due for Student Council, and clearly the Principal has sent them to come," Mrs. Meldrew solved in a whisper.

"WHY ARE THEY WASTING THEIR TIME SITTING IN CORNERS DOING NOTHING WHEN THEY COULD BE BUSY TRAINING WITH THE REST OF THE BASKETBALL TEAM RIGHT NOW FOR OUR BIG EVENT, THE FINALS?!" Coach Bolton shouted.

"It's called a train of thought Mr. Bolton," Mrs. Meldrew corrected.

"TROY BOLTON AND CHAD DANFORTH, OUT! NOW!" Coach Bolton yelled.

Troy and Chad took no time to loose and ran out of room 153 without saying a word.

Mrs. Meldrew let out a sigh. "Taylor, you stay there," Mrs. Meldrew instructed and she went.


	14. Principal

Mrs. Meldrew rushed through the doorway and stormed down the corridor towards the Principal's office. Taylor had the envelope in her hand that Mr. Matsui had given her and decided to rush down the corridor after Mrs. Meldrew to ask her if Mrs. Dennis was around.

"MRS. MELDREW!" Taylor yelled while running down the corridor.

"Sorry Taylor, can't stop, if you want to talk to me, meet me at the Principal's office!" Mrs. Meldrew screamed without looking back.

Taylor took no time to loose to overtake Mrs. Meldrew and run forward, meeting Mrs. Meldrew at the Principal's office about 2 minutes after she had arrived. "Please Mrs. Meldrew, let me talk to you," Taylor pledged as if she had never been upset.

"Alright, talk to me," Mrs. Meldrew finally agreed.

"Mr. Matsui gave this to me and it was for Mrs. Dennis. Is Mrs. Dennis here?" Taylor asked.

"Thank you. Our Student Council committee for this school has joined an agency and we now run to different schools. I'm the new manager for this school so I am the one immediately called when Mr. Matsui wants the Student Council to be opened. Unfortunately, Mrs. Dennis has been called to be at South High, so she will not return. Thanks for reminding me, that will be another thing I want to speak to Mr. Matsui about. Please excuse me, I have to see the Principal immediately!" Mrs. Meldrew explained.

"Where do you want me to go?" Taylor questioned.

"Can you do me a favour by going down to the Basketball Courts to see where Troy and Chad are? Return to the Student Council room if you couldn't find them," Mrs. Meldrew requested.

"Alright," Taylor accepted.

--PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE--

"Come in please," the Principal's secretary welcomed.

"Thank you," Mrs. Meldrew thanked.

The Principal's secretary led Mrs. Meldrew through another corridor (staff corridor) towards the end room. She swiped a card and the light went green. The secretary pushed the handle down and the door opened. "Guest for you," the secretary explained.

"Thanks Lilly," Mr. Matsui acknowledged and Lilly smiled. "Please sit down," the Principal ushered and shut the door.

"Hello, I've come to speak to you regarding the Student Council," Mrs. Meldrew began.

"Yes, how can I help you?" Mr. Matsui enquired.

"Mr. Bolton, of the Basketball Court, has removed my students away from the serenity of the Student Council room, to take them to training. I am unhappy about this, because you have especially requested that Student Council is to take place and Mr. Bolton has no right to break this up, what can I do about this?" Mrs. Meldrew retold.

"Oh, ok, I see what you're trying to tell me, hmm… I'll give him a call," Mr. Matsui understood. "Please hold on," Mr. Matsui asked.

--IN THE BASKETBALL COURT--

Coach Bolton's mobile phone began ringing in a loud high-pitched tone which echoed in the Basketball Court. Troy, Chad and the rest of the team were running a practise match and were split up into two teams and were currently playing as if it were the finals. They had turned the scorer on as stimulation. Troy and Chad seemed absolutely fine; maybe it was because they were too engrossed in the game to worry about the past.

Coach Bolton blew his screeching whistle and pushed a large red button on the wall of the court to stop the timing. "HANG ON BOYS!" he yelled over his loud ringtone. Coach Bolton pressed a green button on his mobile phone and pressed it against his ear. "COACH BOLTON!" he greeted.

"Hi Mr. Bolton, this is Mr. Matsui speaking," Mr. Matsui greeted.

"Hi Mr. Matsui, the Principal, what did you interrupt me for?" Coach Bolton snapped.

"If you're so worried about me bothering you, I can send down a referee for you," Mr. Matsui came to solution. "Hang on," Mr. Matsui requested.

--PRINICPAL'S OFFICE--

Meanwhile, Mrs. Meldrew refused to go back to her classroom to sort things out, so she just sat in Mr. Matsui's office staring into space.

"LILLY!" Mr. Matsui yelled.

"Yes Mr. Matsui, coming!" Lilly screamed.

In about 5 seconds, Lilly came rushing in the door. "Lilly, please call for a referee in the staffroom, I've got one on call," Mr. Matsui instructed.

"Yes Mr. Matsui, BRENDAN!" Lilly yelled as she ran out of the door.

Brendan, the referee on call, who would be the referee for the Finals, ran out as quick as he could and arrived in the basketball court in no time.

--BASKETBALL COURT--

"Are you still there Mr. Bolton?" Mr. Matsui asked.

"YES! I can see that your referee on call has arrived," Coach Bolton remarked.

The basketball game was up and running again.

"Mr. Bolton, I'd like you to be in my office immediately. We need a well-needed discussion," Mr. Matsui instructed. "If you do not wish to come in the next 5 minutes, I shall consider your job may be terminated. I know I am a fan of basketball, but this may have to happen," Mr. Matsui considered.

"I'll be there in no time," Coach Bolton concluded.

(THE LINE CUTS OFF)

**2.5 minutes later…**

"Mr. Matsui!" Coach Bolton calls. "So great to see you!" Coach Bolton pretends to be all nice.

"Yes, Mr. Bolton, I've got some things and issues I want to discuss with you," Mr. Matsui says seriously.

"Why is that MELDREW here?" Coach Bolton returns to his normal self.

"Let's begin…" Mr. Matsui begins.


	15. Vanessa Over

"Well Mr. Bolton, we haven't heard exactly good news from Mandy here," Mr. Matsui explained.

"Oh, it AIN'T my fault!" Coach Bolton justified.

"You, are not all innocent and Mandy isn't all wrong," Mr. Matsui corrected.

"Bolton, how DARE you extract students from Student Council!" Mrs. Meldrew yelled.

"Wait!" Mr. Matsui stopped.

"Hey, Meldrew, I'm more important than you!" Coach Bolton teased.

"Mr. Matsui, I wish to report Coach Bolton and I have to go, please call on Troy and Chad," Mrs. Meldrew decided. "I've had enough, so if there are any problems, call on me," she added.

With that, Mandy Meldrew stormed off in a hurry and shut the door behind her.

"Off in a hurry Mandy?" Lilly asked.

"I've left Mr. Matsui a job, he might need some help," Mandy explained.

"Oh! Fantastic, I'll be there," Lilly realised.

Mrs. Meldrew arrived back at 153 to find no students inside the room.

--KELSI AND VANESSA—

Vanessa had taken the time to return back to Kelsi, who was eager to listen to what Vanessa had to say. "I have to tell you something Kel," Vanessa/Gabriella admitted.

"What is it?" Kelsi asked.

"Well, I was thinking of doing this for another day, but with all this drama, I think we'd better sort this out and get rid of the whole Vanessa thing. Don't you dare tell Mrs. Darbus!" Vanessa/Gabriella stated.

"Alright, so you'll call your mum and tell her that you're coming home late?" Kelsi questioned.

"Yes, I guess so," Vanessa/Gabriella decided.

"I think we should get back to class, Ms. Darbus might throw a fit if we don't," Kelsi reminded.

So Vanessa and Kelsi ran back to class. "There you are!" Ms. Darbus welcomed. "Class, I need to make a phone call, Kelsi, you're supposed to be in Student Council," Ms. Darbus added.

Kelsi and Vanessa shared smiles and returned to their seats as Ms. Darbus grabbed the phone.

"Hello Mandy?" Ms. Darbus began.

"Yes, Mandy speaking, is this Ms. Darbus?" asked Mrs. Meldrew.

"Yes, Mandy, I've got Kelsi here with me, do you need her?" Ms. Darbus asked.

"Oh!" exclaimed Mandy. "It's alright now, she is not needed," she added.

"Thanks for your help," thanked Ms. Darbus.

"Bye!" Mandy concluded.

"Looks like you're not going," Ms. Darbus announced.

"Oh!" Kelsi pretended.

"Well, have a seat, and listen," Ms. Darbus instructed.

Troy, Taylor and Chad were still not back from Student Council, but to their luck, Taylor marched in the door, as if nothing had happened. Taylor wasn't upset anymore, she was so happy that she skipped up to Kelsi and called, "Kelsi, you were supposed to be in Student Council."

"Weren't you?" Kelsi asked.

"Well, something too long to explain happened and then Mrs. Meldrew said I was fine to go," Taylor replied.

"Seems correct," Kelsi said agreeing.

At that very moment, the boys came running in, "KELSI!" called Troy.

"Oh, hi Troy," Kelsi replied.

"We didn't have to go to Student Council and Mrs. Meldrew finally agreed that training would make us happier," Troy explained.

"Alright, why were you all so sad anyway?" Kelsi asked.

"Yeh!" Vanessa agreed.

"Oh, Vanessa, you don't know about this do you?" Troy realised. "Chad, explain," he added.

"Well Vanessa, we met Gabriella yesterday, she wasn't too happy, we shouldn't have thrown a pout anyway," Chad said apologetically.

"That's alright," Vanessa answered.

"Anyway Vanessa, when are you leaving?" Zeke asked.

"Oh! I just sat a test to go to New York's Bluebird West High and I was accepted, and school there is starting next week on Monday. So I'm leaving tomorrow, plus, my mother has a job there too," Vanessa explained.

"Oh!" Kelsi pretended.

"Oh no, I'm so sorry to hear that," Taylor sighed.

"Anyway, give me your phone number so I can keep in contact with you," Chad added.

"I'm seeing Kelsi tonight, so I'll give it to them, I received my phone sim in New York today so I'll get her to give it to you," Vanessa explained.

"Cool," Kelsi agreed.

**Please review if you want the next chapter.**


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